Time
by rhead-a-holyc
Summary: It took a while for George to get over his twin's death but he had help. George/Angelina. One shot. Challenge fic.


_**Disclaimer:**_** I do not own Harry Potter**

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry [Potions] - Accio, Alihotsy Draught, Roxanne Weasley, Someone must cry, Angst, stunning, George/Angelina, apple green**

_**Time**_

Loosing Fred had been one of the most painful moments in his life. It was like losing a part of himself, because that was exactly what Fred was: his other half. They had always been together ever since they had been born. Merlin they had even slept in the same bed until they had turned twelve because it was more comfortable. They always returned to that comfort whenever one of them felt really low during the day. It was one of those things that had always been there.

George really did not know how or why they had been separated during the Battle of Hogwarts but they had been. Maybe if he had been there, Fred would still be alive, would still be able to pull pranks with him on the most unsuspecting people and be able to see Percy at his best, pulling pranks left, right and centre. Something that had been so abstract the first time he had seen it, he had paused what he was doing to stare in shock, stunned at his strict brother's strange actions.

The only consolation had been the fact that Fred had died happily, if the smile on his face was any indication. That smile was one that was similar to the one he had after they had pulled the best prank they had ever been able to on Snape at some point during Second Year. He could only hope his twin was still pranking Snape in heaven and driving all the adults up there insane. He could imagine his brother attempting to turn Dumbledore's beard an apple green colour that would hopefully clash badly with whichever robes he had decided to wear that day.

He had cried though. Everyone had. Fred had been far too young to be killed and seemed to full of life to imagine dead, but he had been. Angelina had been distraught. Fred and her had been dating for the few years previous. It would have been a shock to her as well.

It had taken years before they were completely able to function in a way similar to before. It could not be exactly the same as before, too much had changed, they had been broken in a way that could not be easily fixed, if ever fixed.

He had almost closed the shop because it reminded him too much of his twin but Percy and Ron constantly reminded him that it was a bit of Fred as well and so he strove to make Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes the best prank shop in the wizarding world, better than even Zonko's although that was not as difficult as they had expected. He had the help of Percy and Ron all through the way, something he was extremely grateful for.

It had been years later, after pushing himself so much into his work, that he had finally met Angelina Johnson again. She had left to America for many years, no one knew what she had been doing but she had returned afterwards. Ready to settle into Wizarding Britain again.

They had met by chance when he had been on his daily trip to Gringotts. Angelina had been on the way out and they had literally bumped into each other. They had decided to meet a couple of days later at a café to catch up on everything that had happened ever since the end of the war.

For the first time in a very long time, he found his attention drifting away from his work and to Angelina Johnson constantly. Percy and Ron had obviously noticed and quickly took up the work he left off by mistake. They never questioned him on his distraction but he knew that they had spoken of it before because he caught the exchange of coins on one odd occasion as they whispered, arguing quietly. The exchange of money had been reluctant on Percy's side, not entirely convinced.

He had not picked them up on that either because he was not entirely sure what was going on himself. He had never felt like this in a very long time. Nothing had been able to distract him from his work in the last few years except for the occasional prank that had excited him because of the massive amount of excitement that particular prank caused. That had been one thing that had always made him feel closer to his twin, who had loved the chaos caused by the prank just as much as the actual prank itself. He had developed a similar liking to the chaos as his twin had, something Percy and Ron had also picked up on. They were the calmer ones, picking up wherever he slacked or made a mistake.

The café that they had chosen was one that had recently opened after the war. It was not as popular as some of the other cafés which meant that it was a lot quieter than the other cafés in the alley. It would be much more private, which was exactly what they wanted. They did not want to shout to be able to be heard.

He could not understand the reason why he was feeling nervous. The time they were supposed to meet was rapidly approaching and he could not help but glance at the clock that he had put up in his office which told him that there were only fifteen minutes before the time they had agreed to meet.

Five minutes before the allocated time he finally stood and summoned his cloak to him as he moved through the shop, calling out that he was going out to Percy, Ron and whichever of the other employees were in at them time. He only heard a vague reply of acknowledgement coming from the backroom, from someone he assumed was Percy because he knew Ron was in the experimental room today because he had thought of some new idea. After some time, he had told them to experiment with their own ideas because otherwise they would run everything through him and he was unable to keep track of everything that had already been produced.

It was a little chilly outside which made him thankful for his cloak and made his way down to Vertical Alley where the café was located. He was a minute or so late, so Angelina was already sitting in the café.

He did not know it but that meeting was the beginning of something he had not counted on. The idea of having a family of his own had been an idea he had pushed to the back of his mind, not being able to think about having a family with his children not knowing his twin.

As he sat there talking to Angelina, catching up on everything that had happened, those thoughts returned to his mind, faint reminders of things he had discussed with Fred in one of their odder conversations about the future that had been a bit more serious than they had originally expected.

At the end of that meeting, they had agreed to meet again in a month. It became a monthly meeting between the two of them, until Angelina began visiting their main shop weekly, then daily until if anyone looked for her, the first place they looked was Wizarding Wizard Wheezes.

Percy and Ron welcomed her happily into their fold and by the end of the second year, Angelina had been invited to the annual Weasley Yule celebration by Percy because he had been too conflicted to do it himself, where she had been welcomed warmly. Somehow everyone had figured out what was going on and were watching him strangely for the entire night.

His mother and sister had knowing expressions on their faces while Fleur looked entirely too amused along with his older brothers, Harry and Hermione. He really wished they would stop looking at him like that because it was freaking him out just a little. He had a feeling that Angelina felt the same way, from the slight tinge of pink on her cheeks, he knew she had noticed everyone's attention on them.

It was not a very long time after that he asked Angelina out, after having everyone egging him on, making them an official couple. Angelina had only smiled and accepted. She seemed to know what had happened to propel him forward and steel his nerves to ask her out after not looking at a girl in a romantic light for so long. Angelina seemed to understand much more than she showed because she was careful and forgiving whenever their conversation brushed on Fred. They would talk about it but it would take time, like most painful things did to heal.

They had married eventually. There had been no way they would not with how close they had managed to get over time. They learned to know each other through conversation at a general becoming comfortable in each other's presence which led to them noticing the small quirks about each other.

It had been a relatively simple process.

Their wedding had been just as simple despite the extravagant wedding they had been offered. He could have afforded an extravagant wedding if they had really wanted to go all out. They wanted it to remain as it always had been, simple and showing the level of understanding between them, not filled with the frivolities money brought. He had not allowed anyone to be his best man. That place had been reserved for Fred and still was, even in his absence. No one would take that spot away from Fred.

His first son had been named in honour of Fred. It had been an unanimous decision between Angelina and him. Their son's name had shocked his family but they had accepted it and perhaps even understood a little of the reason behind the decision. Fred was three now and was quite quickly following in his namesake's footprints. Little Fred had turned Angelina's hair a bright orange colour twice now and often tripped anyone who walked into his room, laughing as they fell face first. Sometimes when he looked at his son, he could almost see his twin again, pulling similar tricks on people with his accidental magic.

Roxanne had only been born recently and kept both Angelina and him up most of the night. He was immensely grateful for the silencing spell he put on Fred's room or Fred would also be up all night.

He was not entirely sure what it was but somehow Roxanne had marked the beginning of something new, she had marked the beginning of a future, their future. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that females were usually rare in the Weasley family considering that when he had a child there had only been Ginny who was a girl but every time he thought about the Angelina's and his little girl getting hurt or being in harms way, he felt as if he had taken some Alihotsy Drought and near on panicked. He had certainly not felt the same way during the few months after Fred's birth, perhaps knowing that Fred would be able to handle anything thrown his way.

Or maybe it was the fact that little Roxy was much smaller than her brother had been and looked all the more delicate and fragile for it, to the point where he was almost scared to carry her for fear of dropping her.

He nearly dropped the bag he was holding when screams rang through their home yet again.

"Accio," he sighed, knowing exactly what he needed without him finishing his words the bottle came floating towards him.

For all little Roxy's seemingly delicate nature, she had a pair of lungs on her. Today Angelina had told him, quite frankly, that she was going to be sleeping and he would be the one running around and tending to Roxy until she woke up before putting up a couple silencing charms around her and falling asleep. It had been a terrifying thought, it still was but he had been at it for three hours already and he thought he was getting the hang of it.

Hopefully.


End file.
